Indicator



J. D. LANGDON INDICATOR July 25, 1933.

Filed Aug. 7, 1929 Patented July 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JESSE LANGDON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 LANGDON ENGINEER- ING CORPORATION, OF LOS ANGELES, OALI IFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA INDICATOR Application filed August 7, 1929.

The present invention relates to indicators and registers, and aims to provide a novel and improved device for indicating the quantity of material delivered or other operations, and although the device is intended especially for use with a dispensing pump for indicating the quantity of grease, oil or other material dispensed, the device is useful for other purposes also to indicate quantity, operations, or the like, the present invention being an improvement over the indicator disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 240,299, filed December 15, 1927.

"Another object is the provision of novel means for operating an indicating member by the reverse motions of the pump or other machine with which the device is used.

A further object is-toprovide an indicating device assembled as a unit with the head of a pump cylinder.

Still another object is the provision of an indicator of the kind mentioned comprising a novel assemblyof the component elements.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in View, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of-parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a front'view of the indicator.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, portions being shown in elevation.

Fig. '3' is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The indicator is constructed as a unit with the head or cap 1 of a pump cylinder 2, and a rack 3 connected to the piston (not shown) passes through the head or cap 1 and meshes with a pinion 4 disposed within a chamber 5 in the head 1.

The pinion 4 is mounted on a shaft 6 rotatable in an outstanding bearing 7 with which the head 1 is provided, and a hand crank 8 is detachably secured to the outer protruding terminal of said shaft for con- Serial No. 334,089.

ventiontly rotating the pinion 1 to move the rack 23 and piston either upwardly or downwardl The bearing 7 has a detachable bushing or retainer 9 for holding the shaft 6 in place, and when removed permits said shaft and pinion 4 to be withdrawn.

The cylinder head 1 has an outlet chamber 10 opposite to the chamber 5, with a port 11 establishing communication between said chamber and the cylinder 2, said head. having a alve seat 12 at the upper end of said port on which a ball 18 or other check valve is seatable to prevent reverse flow.

The head 1 has an outlet 14 leading from the chamber 10 to which a hose or other fluid conductor is connected, such connection being close to the cylinder 2.

The head 1 has an upper oaening 15 for he chamber 10, which is normally closed by a cap or plug 16 having a dependin stop 17 which limits the opening movement of the valve 13. lVhen the cap 16 is removed convenient access may be had to the valve 13 and the valve seat 12.

The cylinder head 1 has an upstanding case 18 integral therewith and provided with a detachable face plate or front wall 19, with a vertical slot 20 between one edge of said plate and one side wall of said case.

. An indicating member or slide 21 is movable longitudinally behind the face plate 19 and has a series of ratchet teeth 22 on the back thereof. Said member or slide 21 has a series of numerals or other indicia printed, stamped or OtllQiWiSfi} provided on the front surface thereof to 'be exposed in succession through an opening 23 in the plate 19.

The member 21 is slidable between the plate 19 and a flange 24 of a sheet metal member 25 fitted in the case 18, and said member 25 also has a depending leaf spring catch 26 with a bent end 27 to engage the teeth 22 when the member 21 is raised step by step.

A plunger 28 is slidable between the plate 19 and catch 26for restoring the member 21, said plunger having a fine rpicce 29 at its upper end for conveniently depressing he plunger. Said restoring plunger is adapted to contact with the upper end of the member or slide 21 for pushing said member downwardly to initial or starting position with the zero mark exposed through the opening 23, as seen in Fig. 1.

A slide 30 is movable longitudinally in the case 19 and is reciprocated for advancing the indicating slide 21 step by step. The slide 30 comprises a strip or bar of suitable metal, having the rearwardly extending lower and upper terminals 31 and 32, respec-- tively, which bear slidably against the inner longitudinal ribs 33 on the side walls of the case.

The slide 30 has an upwardly extending leaf spring pawl or dog struck therefrom and provided with the terminal 36 to engage the teeth 22 above the flange 24. V Said terminal 36 is inclined so thatin contacting with the upper end of the flange 24 in the downward movement of the slide 30, said pawl 35 will be sprung rearwardly away from the teeth 22 to release the slide 21 for downward movement. This requires that the slide 30 be moved to its lowermost position with the lower terminal 31 thereof depressed below the position as shown in Fig. 2, with the rack 3 in its lowermost position.

The intermediate portion of the slide 30 is sprung or bowed rearwardly behind the catch 26. A contact screw 34 is threaded through the upper terminal 32 of the slide 30 and is preferably secured in its adjusted position by a lock nut, said screw in contacting with the upper end of the rack member unit limiting the upward movement of the slide 30. V

A member 37 is secured to the upper ter minal of the rack 3 by a screw 38, and said member and screw are adapted to contact with the terminal 31 and screw 34 of the slide 30 in the downward and upward limits of movement of the rack 3 and piston.

The member 37 has a pointer 39 extending through the slot 20 and cooperable with the graduations on the plate 19 for indicating the fractions of the unit of measurement (a pint as shown).

An adjustable stop screw 40 is threaded through the upper end of the case 18 for limiting the upward movement of the rack 3, ant} may be held in place by a lock nut and sea When the plate 19 is removed, the indicating slide 21, restoring plunger 28, member 25 and slide 30 may be readily removed from the case, and the assembly of the parts is simple and convenient.

In operation, when the crank 8 is rotated for ejecting the grease or material from the pump, the rack 3 is moved upwardly, and when the rack approaches its uppermost position the member 37 and screw 38 contact with. the screw 34, and move the indicating slide 21 upwardly one step, the catch or dog 26 engaging under the corresponding tooth of the slide to prevent the slide from moving downwardly. Then when the rack 3 is moved downwardly and reaches its lowermost limit of movement, the member 37 and screw 38 contact with the lower terminal 31 of the slide 30 and move said slide downwardly, thereby retracting the pawl 35, while the catch 26 is retaining the slide 21. The pawl 35 is therefore moved under the next tooth 22, so that when the rack 3 is again moved to its uppermost limit, the slide 21 will be raised another step. In this way the indicating slide 21 is advanced one step for each complete movement of the pump piston, and the number of units of material dispensed will be indicated in the opening 23. The pointer 39 will indicate on the graduations on the plate 19 the fractions of a unit dispensed.

The indicating slide is readily restored by pushing the plunger 29 downwardly, thereby bringing the indicating slide to initial or starting position.

The indicator prevents cheating, because the full movement of the pump piston in both directions is required to operate the indicating slide, and if the pump piston is give only a partial movement the indicating slide will not be advanced.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An indicator comprising an elongated case, a longitudinal guide member therein having a vertical flange, an indicating slide slidable longitudinally in the case and guided by said member and bearing against one side of said flange, a second slide slidable'longitudinally in the case and guided by said member and bearing against the other side of said flange, the indicating slide having ratchet teeth, said flange having a, cutaway portion intermediate the ends thereof, the second slide having a s ring pawl to engage said teeth through sai cutaway portion of said flange for advancing the indicating slide step by step by the reciprocation of the second slide, and an actuating member entering the case and slidable longitudinally therein, the actuating member and second slide having cooperable portions adapted to contact at the limits of movement of the actuating member to reciprocate the second slide, said guide member having a catch formed with one edge of the cutaway portion of the flange thereof to engage said ratchet teeth for holding the indicating slide in its advanced position during the return movement of thesecond slide and its pawl.

2. An indicator comprising an elongated case having side and rear walls and having a removable face plate and a longitudinal slot, said plate having an opening, a removable longitudinal guide member in said case behind the face plate, said case having opposed guide ribs behind said member formed with said side walls, an indicating slide slidable longitudinally in the case between said member and plate and exposed through said opening, said slide having ratchet teeth, a second slide slidable longitudinally in the case between said member and rib and having a pawl engageable with said ratchet teeth for advancingthe indicating slide step by step by the reciprocation of the second slide, and an actuating member entering the case and slidable longitudinally therein between the said rear wall and said guide ribs, said actuating member and second slide having cooperable portions adapted to contact at the limits of movement of the actuating member to reciprocate the second slide, said guide member having a spring catch to engage said ratchet teeth for holding the indicating slide in its advanced positions, said guide member having a portion for the contact of said pawl when the second slide is moved in a direction reverse to the advance movement of the indicating slide for disengaging said pawl from the ratchet teeth.

3. An indicator comprising an elongated case having side walls and a rear wall, a

removable face plate constituting a front wall and ribs formed on said side walls between said face plate and the rear wall of the case, a removable longitudinal guide member in said case between said face plate and ribs, an indicating slide slidable longitudinally between said guide member and plate and having ratchet teeth, a second slide slidable longitudinally in the case between said guide member and ribs and having terminal portions slidable along said ribs, said second slide having a pawl engageable with said ratchet teeth for advancing the indicating slide step by step by the reciprocation of the second slide, said guide member having a spring catch to engage said ratchet teeth for holding the indicating slide in its advanced positions, and an actuating member entering the case and slidable longitudinally therein between said' ribs and the rear wall of the case and having a portion proj ecting between the ribs to contact with the terminal portions of the second slide for reciprocating the second slide at the limits of movement of said actuatin member.

JESSE D. LCANGDON. 

